to give somebody money or something valuable in order to persuade them to help you, especially by doing something dishonestbribe somebody (with something)They bribed the guards with cigarettes.bribe somebody into doing somethingShe was bribed into handing over secret information.bribe somebody to do somethingShe bribed him to sign the certificate.bribe your way…He managed to bribe his way onto the ship.He must have bribed his way out of the prison.Word Originlate Middle English: from Old Frenchbriber, brimber

‘beg’

, of unknown origin. The original sense was ‘rob, extort’, hence (as a noun) ‘theft, stolen goods’, also ‘money extorted or demanded for favours’, later ‘offer money as an incentive’ (early 16th cent.).